Danny Wardle
@dannywardle.org
Philosophy PhD Candidate at ANU (Metaphysics/Social Ontology) • Mostly posts about public policy and politics • Writes at https://pluralityofwords.com
Pinned
Danny Wardle
@dannywardle.org
· Apr 11
Antisemitism and Sinophobia
drawing out some interesting parallels
www.pluralityofwords.com
Some thoughts on how antisemitism and Sinophobia share parallels re: their relationship with criticism of Israel and China and people's willingness to recognise this issue in one case while minimizing it in the other.
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/antisemiti...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/antisemiti...
Reposted by Danny Wardle
Absolute all-timer sentence in today's @nytimes.com
September 30, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Absolute all-timer sentence in today's @nytimes.com
Reposted by Danny Wardle
For decades Aus has cut marginal tax rates, largely on high earners, based on exaggerated claims about work disincentives.
Meanwhile, over the same period, we've set up *genuinely* punitive (at times > 100%) effective marginal tax rates on low-middle income earners.
www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
Meanwhile, over the same period, we've set up *genuinely* punitive (at times > 100%) effective marginal tax rates on low-middle income earners.
www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
The Australians getting hit with up to 122 per cent tax
Some Australians who are eager to take on more work are being held back by the prospect of giving up most of their additional income – and in some cases, even paying to work.
www.smh.com.au
September 11, 2025 at 10:44 AM
For decades Aus has cut marginal tax rates, largely on high earners, based on exaggerated claims about work disincentives.
Meanwhile, over the same period, we've set up *genuinely* punitive (at times > 100%) effective marginal tax rates on low-middle income earners.
www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
Meanwhile, over the same period, we've set up *genuinely* punitive (at times > 100%) effective marginal tax rates on low-middle income earners.
www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
Reposted by Danny Wardle
very sad. we should eliminate the tariffs and then replace them targeted luxury goods taxes.
September 10, 2025 at 7:01 AM
very sad. we should eliminate the tariffs and then replace them targeted luxury goods taxes.
Reposted by Danny Wardle
My contribution to the welfare state debate: Pre-transfers, the Child Poverty Rate is 100%
[Link below]
[Link below]
August 25, 2025 at 11:39 AM
My contribution to the welfare state debate: Pre-transfers, the Child Poverty Rate is 100%
[Link below]
[Link below]
Reposted by Danny Wardle
everyone loves to quote Krugman on productivity growth being almost anything. strangely they never mention his view that productivity is a great mystery, one that is unresponsive to sweeping changes in government policy and ideology, and something that no one knows how to sustainably increase
August 26, 2025 at 11:43 AM
everyone loves to quote Krugman on productivity growth being almost anything. strangely they never mention his view that productivity is a great mystery, one that is unresponsive to sweeping changes in government policy and ideology, and something that no one knows how to sustainably increase
also see the australian labor party from hawke-keating onwards
debates about New Labour get very muddled so I've drawn up these axes to clarify things
August 18, 2025 at 11:25 PM
also see the australian labor party from hawke-keating onwards
Reposted by Danny Wardle
Reality is now so internet poisoned you cannot say true things without appearing insane. “The New York Times ran a hit piece on Zohran purely so a minor race science blogger could place insider trades on Polymarket” sounds like you are a schizophrenic but it is straightforwardly factual!
July 4, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Reality is now so internet poisoned you cannot say true things without appearing insane. “The New York Times ran a hit piece on Zohran purely so a minor race science blogger could place insider trades on Polymarket” sounds like you are a schizophrenic but it is straightforwardly factual!
Reposted by Danny Wardle
What are we supposed to do about the fact that a huge number of supposedly “serious” intellectuals are clearly socially networked with race science bigots, and at best only one degree of separation from out-and-proud neo-Nazis calling for genocide and extermination of Jews?
July 4, 2025 at 1:29 PM
What are we supposed to do about the fact that a huge number of supposedly “serious” intellectuals are clearly socially networked with race science bigots, and at best only one degree of separation from out-and-proud neo-Nazis calling for genocide and extermination of Jews?
thanks springer, excellent advice
i'm sure these journals will be very interested in my metaphysics manuscripts
i'm sure these journals will be very interested in my metaphysics manuscripts
June 5, 2025 at 12:44 PM
thanks springer, excellent advice
i'm sure these journals will be very interested in my metaphysics manuscripts
i'm sure these journals will be very interested in my metaphysics manuscripts
thanks springer, excellent advice
i'm sure these journals will be very interested in my metaphysics manuscripts
i'm sure these journals will be very interested in my metaphysics manuscripts
June 5, 2025 at 12:44 PM
thanks springer, excellent advice
i'm sure these journals will be very interested in my metaphysics manuscripts
i'm sure these journals will be very interested in my metaphysics manuscripts
Reposted by Danny Wardle
plenty of concerned discourse around students using chatgpt for assignments, what about academics using it for marking? that seems just as easy or easier, harder to detect, and with financial motivation
June 4, 2025 at 5:45 AM
plenty of concerned discourse around students using chatgpt for assignments, what about academics using it for marking? that seems just as easy or easier, harder to detect, and with financial motivation
Reposted by Danny Wardle
Unless you think the current (or any proposed) tax take is the "correct" one (and is "enough" and will remain so), supporting the automatic indexation of tax thresholds is very dumb political economy. www.theage.com.au/politics/fed...
Greens to push for super tax indexation
On Friday, Waters said the Greens partyroom would discuss the policy and likely advocate a similar position to the one before the election.
www.theage.com.au
May 24, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Unless you think the current (or any proposed) tax take is the "correct" one (and is "enough" and will remain so), supporting the automatic indexation of tax thresholds is very dumb political economy. www.theage.com.au/politics/fed...
Some thoughts on how antisemitism and Sinophobia share parallels re: their relationship with criticism of Israel and China and people's willingness to recognise this issue in one case while minimizing it in the other.
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/antisemiti...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/antisemiti...
Antisemitism and Sinophobia
drawing out some interesting parallels
www.pluralityofwords.com
April 11, 2025 at 6:12 AM
Some thoughts on how antisemitism and Sinophobia share parallels re: their relationship with criticism of Israel and China and people's willingness to recognise this issue in one case while minimizing it in the other.
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/antisemiti...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/antisemiti...
Reposted by Danny Wardle
ANU denies misleading the senate, publishes its response to the committee chair on its website before it is tabled which is also contempt of the senate. Best and brightest in charge at the national university! www.canberratimes.com.au/story/893451...
ANU vice-chancellor denies misleading the Senate, may have breached rules again
Pocock warns ANU could be in contempt of the Senate again.
www.canberratimes.com.au
April 6, 2025 at 10:50 PM
ANU denies misleading the senate, publishes its response to the committee chair on its website before it is tabled which is also contempt of the senate. Best and brightest in charge at the national university! www.canberratimes.com.au/story/893451...
New post on the strange and disingenuous arguments against AI art that I've encountered on the left.
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/the-strang...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/the-strang...
The Strange Culture War Over AI Art
the perils of viewing the world through the prism of tech bros vs artists
www.pluralityofwords.com
April 3, 2025 at 10:03 AM
New post on the strange and disingenuous arguments against AI art that I've encountered on the left.
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/the-strang...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/the-strang...
Reposted by Danny Wardle
I *really* benefited from grad school in the US, and I typically advise students to consider the US if they want to do a PhD as I think the system there is flatly better than ours in the UK. But, like, now people are getting deported for signing on to a leftwing op ed in a student paper? I hesitate.
March 27, 2025 at 8:55 AM
I *really* benefited from grad school in the US, and I typically advise students to consider the US if they want to do a PhD as I think the system there is flatly better than ours in the UK. But, like, now people are getting deported for signing on to a leftwing op ed in a student paper? I hesitate.
"The central policy question isn't whether genes or environment determine academic outcomes – it's whether we want a society that distributes resources and opportunities based primarily on academic achievement."
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/the-genes-...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/the-genes-...
The Genes Vs Environment Debate is a Red Herring
you don't need to be a 'hereditarian' to acknowledge that you can't completely eliminate differences in academic outcomes and lifetime incomes
www.pluralityofwords.com
March 27, 2025 at 6:15 AM
"The central policy question isn't whether genes or environment determine academic outcomes – it's whether we want a society that distributes resources and opportunities based primarily on academic achievement."
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/the-genes-...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/the-genes-...
Reposted by Danny Wardle
Abstaining from social media does not significantly affect positive affect, negative affect, or life satisfaction, finds
@lauralemahieu.bsky.social et al., in a meta analysis doi.org/10.1038/s415...
@lauralemahieu.bsky.social et al., in a meta analysis doi.org/10.1038/s415...
![Image description
Figure 1. Forest plot showing results from a meta-analysis of studies on digital interventions and their effect on positive affect. Each row lists a study with its estimated effect size (Hedges' g), 95% confidence interval (CI), and weight in the meta-analysis. Most individual study estimates are close to zero, with some negative and some positive. The overall effect size is 0.03 [95% CI: -0.11, 0.16], suggesting a small, non-significant positive effect. The prediction interval spans from -0.42 to 0.47. The plot indicates moderate heterogeneity (I² = 61%, p < .01). A diamond represents the overall effect at the bottom of the plot.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tpjypws5r3t3xvjqswqnxnf6/bafkreihwbnhwad5vkvfw55lndschavn7fjihyjdm5gpy42k42oakqnpsry@jpeg)
March 26, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Abstaining from social media does not significantly affect positive affect, negative affect, or life satisfaction, finds
@lauralemahieu.bsky.social et al., in a meta analysis doi.org/10.1038/s415...
@lauralemahieu.bsky.social et al., in a meta analysis doi.org/10.1038/s415...
In which I defend the radical view that future generations matter and humanity going extinct would be bad.
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/polarising...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/polarising...
Polarising Yourself Against Intergenerational Justice
you know who else said future generations matter? hitler
www.pluralityofwords.com
March 20, 2025 at 6:18 AM
In which I defend the radical view that future generations matter and humanity going extinct would be bad.
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/polarising...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/polarising...
Bit embarrassed for anyone who went all in the on the Teals
March 19, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Bit embarrassed for anyone who went all in the on the Teals
Reposted by Danny Wardle
Not sure why "30, 40 and 50-year-olds are paying the majority of income tax" is a problem? Would we not expect the cohorts who a) together make up a majority of the workforce and b) include workers in their peak earning years, would pay the bulk of income tax?
If you pay personal income tax, you're paying too much. Our reliance on income taxes harms our economy, and neither Labor nor the Coalition are serious about doing anything about it, preferring shallow stunts like this. Time for an everything-on-the-table tax review. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03...
March 19, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Not sure why "30, 40 and 50-year-olds are paying the majority of income tax" is a problem? Would we not expect the cohorts who a) together make up a majority of the workforce and b) include workers in their peak earning years, would pay the bulk of income tax?
Reposted by Danny Wardle
wow we’ve finally hit the australian welfare state singularity: a PPP to provide means tested concessional loans
ministers.dss.gov.au/media-releas...
ministers.dss.gov.au/media-releas...
No interest loans locked in to help ease cost of living | Department of Social Services Ministers
ministers.dss.gov.au
March 19, 2025 at 4:19 AM
wow we’ve finally hit the australian welfare state singularity: a PPP to provide means tested concessional loans
ministers.dss.gov.au/media-releas...
ministers.dss.gov.au/media-releas...
Welcome back Joe Hockey
March 16, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Welcome back Joe Hockey
>visit website to buy something
>'special offer!!'
>'is this the right country? click here to be redirected to our homepage instead of what you were looking at!!'
>'hey! want a 5% discount that you can't use on anything? give us your email!!'
>'do u agree to cookies?'
fuck off
>'special offer!!'
>'is this the right country? click here to be redirected to our homepage instead of what you were looking at!!'
>'hey! want a 5% discount that you can't use on anything? give us your email!!'
>'do u agree to cookies?'
fuck off
March 12, 2025 at 4:20 PM
>visit website to buy something
>'special offer!!'
>'is this the right country? click here to be redirected to our homepage instead of what you were looking at!!'
>'hey! want a 5% discount that you can't use on anything? give us your email!!'
>'do u agree to cookies?'
fuck off
>'special offer!!'
>'is this the right country? click here to be redirected to our homepage instead of what you were looking at!!'
>'hey! want a 5% discount that you can't use on anything? give us your email!!'
>'do u agree to cookies?'
fuck off
A short, accessible explainer on the evidence-based paradigm that aims to be more helpful than saying "It's when you base things on the evidence"
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/what-does-...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/what-does-...
What Does 'Evidence-Based' Actually Mean?
a quick primer on the evidence-based paradigm
www.pluralityofwords.com
March 12, 2025 at 12:54 AM
A short, accessible explainer on the evidence-based paradigm that aims to be more helpful than saying "It's when you base things on the evidence"
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/what-does-...
www.pluralityofwords.com/p/what-does-...